Cameras detect drunk railway passengers in Japan

Drunk driving puts you and everyone else in danger, so public transportation seems like the way to go after a night of drinking. That keeps everyone safe from you. However, you can still fall onto the tracks. Turns out this is a big issue in Japan where 221 people were hit by trains in 2013.

60 percent of those injuries were a result of drunkenness, so railway company JR West has taken steps to make sure that passengers are safe. They have outfitted the Kyobashi Station with some smart surveillance cameras. There are 46 surveillance cameras in all. These eyes in the sky will look for signs of drunk passengers on the platform. They will look for things like people weaving across the platform, or staying on a bench for too long. When the cameras pick up this kind of activity they will alert a station attendant to check and see if the person needs help.

Right now the cameras are only in place at the Kyobashi Station, located near the major commercial and business district of Umeda. Maybe this will help stop some of those accidents from happening. If they do the job well, JR West may install them in additional stations.